Yemeni Army Set to Recover Hazm City after Swift Military Advance

Yemen's Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali al-Maqdashi during his visit to the Military Judicial Department at its temporary headquarters in Marib on Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Saba
Yemen's Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali al-Maqdashi during his visit to the Military Judicial Department at its temporary headquarters in Marib on Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Saba
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Yemeni Army Set to Recover Hazm City after Swift Military Advance

Yemen's Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali al-Maqdashi during his visit to the Military Judicial Department at its temporary headquarters in Marib on Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Saba
Yemen's Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ali al-Maqdashi during his visit to the Military Judicial Department at its temporary headquarters in Marib on Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Saba

The Yemeni National Army made on Wednesday a significant progress on the fronts of al-Jawf governorate in northern Yemen in the fighting with Houthi militias for the second straight day.

It earlier liberated a strategic camp east of al-Hazm, the provincial capital of Jawf, paving way for retaking the city, military sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to the sources, the operations carried out by the army and the popular resistance with air support from the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen continued on Wednesday and resulted in the liberation of many Houthi-controlled sites east of Hazm.

Army forces captured about 25 militants and recovered a number of military vehicles, while Coalition fighters destroyed other coup vehicles and reinforcements, the sources said.

They indicated that the army forces and Dahm tribesmen in Jawf have neared Sabrayn Mountains, west of Bir al-Maraziq and east of Aqaba.

On Tuesday, the army and popular resistance forces tightened their grip on the strategic al-Khanjar camp and its vicinities.

The Media Center of the Yemeni armed forces quoted Brigadier General Haikal Hantaf as stating that the Coalition’s airforce actively participated in the battle and targeted Houthi reinforcements, dealing them heavy blows.

The forces recovered a number of armored vehicles, weapons and ammunition that the militias left behind before fleeing, Hantaf added.

“The battles are ongoing in light of a major collapse in the militias’ ranks,” he stressed, affirming that the army will achieve victory and continue to liberate Hazm city and the entire Jawf governorate.

Acting Commander of the Third Military Region Maj. Gen. Nasser al-Thaybani stressed that forces from the third and sixth military regions continued to advance and score qualitative and strategic victories.

He said the militias have suffered an overwhelming defeat, noting that the army and the resistance killed dozens of militants in airstrikes.



Egypt Rejects Attempts to Form Parallel Sudanese Govt

A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Murnei in Sudan's Darfur region, walks beside carts carrying her family belongings upon crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Murnei in Sudan's Darfur region, walks beside carts carrying her family belongings upon crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 2, 2023. (Reuters)
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Egypt Rejects Attempts to Form Parallel Sudanese Govt

A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Murnei in Sudan's Darfur region, walks beside carts carrying her family belongings upon crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A Sudanese woman, who fled the conflict in Murnei in Sudan's Darfur region, walks beside carts carrying her family belongings upon crossing the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad August 2, 2023. (Reuters)

Egypt rejected on Sunday attempts aimed at establishing a rival government in Sudan, warning that such moves jeopardized the "unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the war-torn country.

Sudan has been locked in a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for nearly two years, plunging the country into what the United Nations describes as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory.

A week ago, the RSF and its allies signed a charter in Kenya declaring the formation of a "government of peace and unity" in areas under their control.

"Egypt expresses its rejection of any attempts that threaten the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of brotherly Sudan, including the pursuit of forming a parallel Sudanese government," a statement from Cairo's foreign ministry said Sunday.

It added that such actions "complicate the situation in Sudan, hinder ongoing efforts to unify political visions and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis".

Egypt also called on "all Sudanese forces to prioritize the country's supreme national interest and to engage positively in launching a comprehensive political (peace) process without exclusion or external interference".

Last week, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty voiced the same stance in a press conference alongside his Sudanese counterpart Ali Youssef.

"Sudan's territorial integrity is a red line for Egypt," he said, adding that his country "rejects any calls to establish alternative structures outside the current framework".

The paramilitaries' move to form a rival government has drawn sharp criticism, including from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who warned it would "further deepen Sudan's fragmentation".

Saudi Arabia, which previously mediated ceasefire talks between the warring sides, also rejected the RSF's move.

In a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency on Friday, Riyadh's foreign ministry warned against "any step or illegal measure taken outside the framework of official institutions".

Kuwait echoed that position on Friday, saying it rejected "any unlawful actions taken outside the framework of legitimate state institutions" in Sudan, calling them "a threat to its territorial unity".

At a UN Human Rights Council dialogue on Friday, Qatar also expressed its support for "Sudan's unity and territorial integrity".